Notes on good defaults
The best tools make the right thing the easy thing. A few small observations on designing defaults.
A default is a decision you make on behalf of everyone who never changes it — which is almost everyone.
Three questions I ask
- What would a careful person choose if they had time to think?
- What’s the cost if the default is wrong?
- Can someone who needs something different find the switch?
| Default | Good when… |
|---|---|
| Private | Sharing is rare and mistakes are costly |
| Dark mode follows system | Most people already chose once |
| Autosave on | Losing work is worse than an extra version |
Good defaults are invisible. That’s the point.